In the relationship between the natural self and the acquired persona, does the learned or trained take up as much of our awareness as the self-motivated? Less? More?

More because it’s practised. Engrained? Habituated?

How much of what you perceive yourself to be is something that came naturally? How much of what you perceive others to be is something they enact naturally?

I don’t much “like” the guy I’ve been told to be and am finally learning to enjoy and honour the guy I am and always have been.

I tend to think that I see more of the real person here in Second Life (SL) than I would of that same person if I met them in a coffee shop. Indeed, everything anyone does in Second Life is more likely than not just something they have freely chosen to do, sort of the whole appeal of SL. It certainly isn’t the game structure of the SL environment.

So, why do we wind up in and live our lives in straight jackets in “real life”? If it’s to promote positive relationships, do we succeed at doing that? Is the state we get into in real life because it’s more functional? So if it’s neither functional nor facilitative of positive relationships, what good is it to behave “realistically.” Does our acquired persona have any use at all?

Preparing faces to meet the faces that we meet… Which are themselves prepared faces. Where does the reality kick in? Are the cultural facets, or “colors” if you will, entirely without worth? I myself rather like various elements of popular culture.

There is some worth in protocol I think. It helps to form a common ground perhaps? Common ground is indeed a good thing, but does common ground have to be monochrome ground?

No, and especially not if we become more accepting and less suspicious of people, which would happen if people acted more naturally. We would feel less alienation and less paranoia. There is little need to be suspicious when you already know the person has a low tolerance for stress. You will know not to expect patience from them, but their behavior may still be helpful, perhaps very helpful for you at the right time and place.

People make a fuss when I wear a tiger striped wrap, and say things about liking weird people, so I end up feeling shy. There are people who would react as if animal print makes you weird. It’s actually all too common an attitude.

They would not be comfortable in SL then with all the weird and wonderful avatars. If Seth had that red ava on… I remember lots of people thinking you were some kind of cult leader when they saw you and didn’t get to know you. That freaked some people out. That’s actually what many said, you were just wearing it to be freaky,

That is part of why I stayed in it for so long, but my purpose was not at all to be freaky.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~